I’ve finally settled on a writing workflow that feels natural and sustainable. The key? Markdown everywhere.

The Setup

My writing stack is deliberately simple:

  • Editor: VS Code with markdown extensions
  • Version Control: Git for everything
  • Publishing: Jekyll + GitHub Pages
  • Backup: Automated to multiple locations

Why Markdown Wins

After years of fighting with complex CMSs and proprietary formats, markdown feels like coming home:

It’s Future-Proof

Plain text will be readable for decades. Try opening a Word document from 1995 - good luck! But a .txt or .md file? Opens perfectly.

It’s Portable

Write once, publish anywhere. My markdown files can become:

  • Blog posts
  • PDF documents
  • Presentations
  • Books

It’s Focused

No formatting toolbar to distract you. Just write. The simplicity is liberating.

The Daily Routine

  1. Morning coffee
  2. Open VS Code
  3. Create or open a markdown file
  4. Write without interruption
  5. Commit to Git
  6. Push to publish

That’s it. No complex workflows, no fighting with formatting, no distractions.

Tools I Use

  • VS Code Extensions:
    • Markdown All in One
    • Markdown Preview Enhanced
    • Code Spell Checker
  • Git Workflow:
    • Draft in feature branch
    • Review and edit
    • Merge to main to publish

Simple, clean, effective.

The Results

Since adopting this workflow, I’ve written more consistently than ever before. The friction is gone. The tools get out of the way and let me focus on what matters: the words.

If you’re struggling with complicated publishing systems, give markdown a try. You might be surprised how freeing it is.